All hail Pumpkin-g Paton: British grower beats his own record with giant gourd

Plant nursery owner and veteran gourd grower Ian Paton, from Hampshire, UK, is back smashing pumpkins, or at least pumpkin records, once again.

A year after he and his twin brother, Stuart, became the first British holders of the heaviest pumpkin title in recorded history, Ian has worked tirelessly to ensure his pumpkin patch continues to flourish, which means he has now raised the bar even higher.

The new world record, as confirmed by officials from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) on 3 October, is 1,295.8 kg (2,856 lb 12.8 oz). This makes it heavier than a white rhino!

Following a suggestion by his son, the beast of a pumpkin has been nicknamed “Bagheera” inspired by the panther from the classic Rudyard Kipling children’s novel The Jungle Book.

It is almost 20 kg (65 lb) weightier than the supersized squash that earned the Paton twins their world record last year – a specimen that they affectionately referred to as “Muggle”.

Ian and Stuart Paton receiving their certificates for Muggle from GWR Adjudicator Pravin Patel in 2025

In October 2025, the brothers presented a 1,278.8-kg (2,819-lb 4-oz) gargantuan gourd at a GPC weigh-off event in Wargrave, Berkshire, UK. This saw them claim the crown from serial US pumpkin pro, Travis Gienger of Minnesota, USA, who entered the record books in 2023.

It marked a major milestone for the British brothers, who had been cultivating giant pumpkins together for more than 50 years. Having claimed prizes for their phenomenal fruits nationally in the UK and even at a European level, the world title had always just eluded them – but no longer.

Despite now losing its heavyweight title, Muggle does still, in fact, retain another record – it remains the largest pumpkin by circumference at 649.8 cm (255.8 in; 21 ft 3.8 in). Owing to its more compact shape, Bagheera comes in at a slightly smaller 596.9 cm (235 in; 19 ft 6.9 in).

While Stuart was content to hang up his gardening gloves and retire from the giant-pumpkin game in 2025 with the fulfilment of their long-sought world title, Ian had unfinished business.

Ian's granddaughter Martha stands atop Bagheera prior to it being transported to the weigh-off

It has been a particularly gruelling year, not least because Ian was for the first time “growing solo”. He told GWR: “There was a lot more work to do as I was on my own – up to six hours a day in the patch for two months – but I got through it…"

He added sheepishly: “I didn’t see a lot of my wife, but I kind of got away with it!”

What’s more, the UK experienced an unprecedented series of heatwaves over this summer. Fortunately, this was less of an issue for Ian owing to the fact that he has long been an advocate of growing pumpkins in a greenhouse.

This is one of the biggest pieces of advice he gives to newcomers to giant pumpkins. According to Ian, growing them inside gives the plants a vital head start in the year and “a long enough season to reach their full potential”. It also meant that ample shading could easily be provided by whiting out some of the windows to protect the vine’s leaves from the most intense sunlight.

During the hottest spells, which saw temperatures in the greenhouse soar to 40°C (104°F), the pumpkin plants were receiving up to 130 gallons (590 litres) – akin to three full bathtubs – of water every day!

Despite these extra challenges, incredibly Bagheera is not the only specimen produced by Ian in 2026 that came close to snatching the GWR title.

Indeed, GWR caught up with the competitive horticulturalist just a couple of weeks earlier when he was attending the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship at the Malvern Autumn Show. It was a fruitful event, with seven new world records set, however Ian’s entry was not among them.

Ian Paton with his prize-winning (but not record-breaking) pumpkin "Baloo" at the Malvern Autumn Show in September 2026

He’d taken first place in the pumpkin class at that contest with another ginormous gourd, named “Baloo”. At 1,258 kg (2,773 lb), it fell just short of the world-record Muggle from 2025; nevertheless, it was a noteworthy sight to behold as still the second-heaviest pumpkin recorded of all time.

The extra bit of time that Bagheera had growing on the vine prior to the Wargrave Weigh-Off on 3 October clearly made the difference to tip a close contender into new record territory.

When asked if he still has an appetite to come back and try growing an even larger specimen, Ian didn’t hesitate. “I want to carry on. I really want to grow a 3,000-lb pumpkin – that’s what I’ve got in my head,” he said.

With more than 2,600 seeds now harvested from Bagheera, Ian’s certainly got plenty of opportunities to once again turn his ambition into a record-breaking reality.

Gourd almighty: the last five heavyweight pumpkin records

• 1,295.8 kg (2,856 lb 12.8 oz), by Ian Paton (UK), 2026
• 1,278.8 kg (2,819 lb 4 oz), by Ian and Stuart Paton (both UK), 2025
• 1,246.9 kg (2,749 lb), by Travis Gienger (USA), 2023
• 1,226 kg (2,702 lb 13.9 oz), by Stefano Cutrupi (Italy), 2021
• 1,190.49 kg (2,624 lb 9.6 oz), by Mathias Willemijns (Belgium), 2016

For those who’d like to catch a glimpse of Bagheera for themselves, the superlative pumpkin will now go on display at Sunnyfields Farm, near Southampton in Hampshire, until the end of October.

It’s not the only record you’ll be able to marvel at there. Sunnyfields set a gourd-themed record itself recently when it beat its own mark for the largest squash mosaic, with an epic portrait of David Attenborough to celebrate his 100th year.

For more fantastic feats of horticultural prowess, check out our dedicated Food and Drink news page.